Romance 101: Love for the romantically challenged
by Yasuhiro
Summary: Kakashi's and his quest to aquire a certain Chunin's attention. KakaIru (Previously titled: Just another day)
1. Rain in Konoha

Oh joy of joys my very first fanfiction. I realize it is very short and I apologize in advance, English is not my first language and although I speak it well enough I'm not completely acquainted with grammar. Also I just made this to get some constructive criticism on how to improve my writing.  
  
Warnings: There is some mild shounen ai moments but not much, oh yeah and it is indeed KakaIru, Why? Cause it just randomly came to mind, next time I'll try something else.  
  
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me, not making any money off this so don't sue.  
  
Story told from Kakashi's PoV   
  
How long had he been sitting atop the roof of his apartment, he did not know all he could think of was what had happened a short while ago when he had 'accidentally' overheard a conversation between his students... It hadn't really been a conversation per say, in fact it was more like Naruto screaming loudly at Sasuke while Sakura tried to get things under control.  
  
At first he wasn't quite sure what the fight was all about, and knowing the two stubborn Genins he guess it could be anything from who could eat the most ramen to who could perform the most powerful jutsu, the rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke was a rather passionate one, and very amusing to watch. After a few more seconds of thought he had decided that maybe just this once, it was ok to sate his curiosity at what had sparked the latest of their squabbles.  
  
Slowly and carefully he made his way towards the 3 Genin, making sure he could be neither heard nor seen, something he could do very easily around the still inexperienced ninja. But with the amount of promise his team showed he guessed maybe someday slipping past them without detection would be quite a feat. At that very moment Naruto chose to rush blindly at Sasuke, fists ready to strike the 'cool and collected' Uchiha boy, Sasuke simply sidestepped the charging blonde's punch throwing him off balance and onto the dirt road face first. Maybe someday hopefully at least one of them would be able to detect him.  
  
Seeking shelter from any other prying eyes Kakashi perched himself atop a well hidden tree branch and began to listen in on the 'conversation'.  
  
After being temporarily stunned by the fall Naruto had risen to his feet quickly, glaring and pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke while Sakura fumed at his audacity. "You bastard, I have been saving up all month to buy that, and you bough it before I did just to piss me off!" Sasuke glared back at Naruto, and in a far calmer and quieter tone he said "I don't know what you're talking about idiot." Kakashi sensed some hesitation at these words and thought he saw an almost undetectable blush rising to Sasuke's pale cheeks.  
  
Naruto continued to glare at Sasuke speaking with a mixture of both anger and defeat towards his teammate "You ruined my chance to buy something nice for Iruka-sensei you stupid bastard." Sasuke just continued to glare at the blonde, clutching a small paper bag tightly with one of his hands.  
  
Kakashi idly watched his team, lost in deep thought. So the argument was about Iruka. He had long ago admitted to himself the guy was attractive in an unconventional sort of way, he wasn't quite sure how to describe the young instructors good looks, the man wasn't handsome by its normal definition, he might have called him pretty but that didn't quite suit the other man either, the only word he could think to use when describing the Chunin's looks was exotic. In those few times when he had talked to or seen the other man the young teacher had seemed very pleasant, patient, and always smiling politely, It was almost irritating were he not so cute while at it, perhaps it was the mans scar, far from making him look rough it did his name justice just because the fact that it looked very much like the small indentation separating the dolphins nose from the rest of their heads, he had found this sort of cute as well. Kakashi had never been much for mushy thoughts but the fact that the Chunin was quite cute for a grown man was inescapable. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by an extremely loud Naruto screaming the name of his favorite person in the whole world. All Kakashi could think was 'speak of the devil.'  
  
He watched as an overly excited Naruto lunged himself at the young teacher, efficiently sending both sprawling onto the dirt, Iruka landing ungracefully on his butt while the blonde bundle of energy remained clung to his waist, the earlier argument completely forgotten. Reaching up with one hand, the Chunin began to ruffle Naruto's hair; a happy smile playing on his lips as he greeted each of his students pleasantly, then adverting his eyes towards Kakashi's hiding spot, his voice pleasant as he greeted him. "Good afternoon Kakashi-sensei." He was slightly shocked, he had not anticipated being detected by the other ninja, so he just smiled, his one visible eye curving upward slightly while waving at Iruka. "Yo." The Chunin was indeed full of surprises.  
  
All three of his students turned up to look at him, two of them giving him puzzled expressions, the other remained mostly stoic as always, thought the two millimeter rise of his left eyebrow indicated that he was indeed surprised to see their teacher as well. Keeping his smile in place he jumped down from the tree to join them.  
  
Sakura was the first one to speak, "Kakashi-sensei what are you doing here?" she stared at him, curiosity shining in her eyes which slowly turned into accusation as the gears in her brain turned and indicated that he had been spying on them. Kakashi kept a smile on his face as he lied. "I was just taking a short walk." He could have come up with something more convincing but he had decided to save all his good lies for when he was late for their class. Sakura continued to give him an inquisitive look, one that said, I know you're lying but I'll keep quiet for the time being.  
  
After a brief moment he turned to look at Iruka, the man was still sitting on the dirt with a happy and oblivious Naruto still clung to his waist. Thinking back on it, it had been a very endearing sight, but at that moments the only thing that had existed in his mind had been Iruka, their eyes (or eye for Kakashi) locked involuntarily for a few short seconds before Kakashi had adverted his gaze towards a few gray clouds that had begun to gather up in the sky, thanking the mask that now covered the furious blush that had risen to his face. Hiding all emotion in his voice he simply said "Looks like its going to rain." Before disappearing very dramatically, his students who were no doubt used to his odd behavior were probably unfazed but he was sure he had left the other sensei very puzzled.  
  
He couldn't help himself, the minute he had looked into the chunin's dark hazel eyes he has simply lost all coherent thought and found himself wanting to do things he had only read in his books to the other man. After he had come to his senses and managed to suppress the fluttering in his stomach he had just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.  
  
After arriving at his apartment he had decided he did not feel like going in just yet, and instead settled himself upon its rooftop, and now he was still there watching as the clouds obscured the sun and the rain began to onto Konoha's parched streets.  
  
Welcoming the cooling effect it had on his skin and pausing his earlier thoughts to pull down his soaked mask, which was now making it very hard to breathe Kakashi could not help but entertain another thought, what would people say if they found him here dead, too stubborn to take off his trademark mask, opting for death instead of exposure. He could almost imagine the villagers whispering amongst themselves on how the mighty Saringan Kakashi had drowned on his rooftop during a rainstorm like some sort of stupid turkey, and at that moment he could not help but laugh, while talking quietly to himself "Kakashi the amazing Sharingan turkey" he continued laughing, now laying flat on the roof, the rain hitting his face and the inside of his mouth.  
  
Some time passed before he had his laughter under control and he idly began to wonder if he'd get sick from being out like this but seriously doubted it would happen, he was tougher than that. Turning on his side he decided to let the rain wash all of his thoughts and troubles away...at least until tomorrow, he could think about what he wanted from Iruka then.  
  
XD so short so very short and pointless but like I said I just need some pointers is all...and if I get some help I'll try and make something better. 


	2. Workings of the mind

Well I decided to give continuing this fic a shot hopefully It'll turn out fine in the end, Oh and also thanks to all the people who reviewed with suggestions on how to improve. :3 I'm trying, I really am. As for whats in the paper bag, that's for much later, and it isn't as interesting as you may think.

Disclaimer: Naruto = Not mine. Me Not making money = Don't sue?

Night fall had come before Kakashi made his way back into the apartment, drenched from head to toe, and leaving a trail of water behind him as he made his way to the small bathroom.

He disposed of his soggy clothes, ringing the water out of them in the tub, then casually tossing them into the sink, where they would likely remain for quite a while.

Turning the knobs of the shower to a comfortable temperature he began to lather up, disposing of whatever foul substances the water soaked roof might have contained.

The fact that roofs weren't exactly the cleanest of places to lie on during a rainstorm did not occur to him till he felt the unpleasantly slippery slime from a pile of rotting leaves come in contact with his hair.

The smell had been pretty bad, a stench between that of a rotting carcass, and a backed up sewer. He just hoped the smell would be completely gone by the time he finished his bath.

There was really no other solution to mask the smell, he could not just use some cologne to cover it up. One of the downsides of being a shinobi was that you couldn't smell like spring time daisies sprinkled over a babbling brook.

Shinobi were trained too use all of their senses and the smell of cologne, or even shampoo would give him away immediately. That did not meant that he could not take regular baths, atleast when he wasn't on a mission. Smelling like he had been living with a herd of cattle wasn't his thing either.

And so with a bar of unsented soap Kakashi gathered up his courage and undertook the task of removing the stubborn smell from his hair.

After a long session of washing and rewashing his hair, Kakashi was finally rid of the noxious stench, and everything was back to normal, or as normal as life got when you were lusting after another guy.

He had planned on not thinking about Iruka until tomorrow but, obviously he did not have complete control over his thoughts when concerning certain people.

He didn't even know the guy, at least not personally. Sure they had said their hellos to each other whenever they happened to meet. But beyond hello and idle chit chat the chunin was a mystery to him.

That obviously hadn't stopped him from being attracted to the other man. It was a bit bizarre at first, with the blushing and sped up heartbeat. Like being eight all over again, except this time he wasn't about to pull Iruka's ponytail, and pick on him in orther to get his attention...the chunin exam incident did not count, that was out of annoyance rather than twisted affection, or at least that's what he told himself.

Though he had to admit, it had been fun to get a rise out of the normally composed sensei.

Without even needing to think he had finished bathing, his body running on auto while his mind wandered.

Turning the shower off he reached for a towel and undertook the task of getting himself dry, before exiting the bath and making his way back into his bedroom to look for a change of clothes.

He had no shortage of clean uniforms in the closet but it was getting late and he wasn't planning on going out. So he opted for wearing his sleeping clothes, which consisted of a regular t-shirt and a pair of draw string pants.

Kakashi looked out his bedroom window, and could see the clouds were almost all gone, and the sun was setting, now barely visible thru the tree line of the Konoha landscape. Painting everything it touched an intense shade of reddish orange, and making the village look as if it was on fire. It was fitting.

He had worked up an appetite while dressing up and headed for the kitchen, his apartment was surprisingly neat and organized, except for his bedroom, which was where he spent most of his time when he wasn't away.

He had barely ever used the kitchen. Usually opting for take out, or quick meals like ramen. Ah the meal of the busy man. The busy, culinarily challenged, man. It was easy to make, and pretty tasty to boot, perhaps that was the reason why Naruto was so infatuated with it...Hmm Naruto.

The Genin was quite close to Iruka, almost like a little brother of sorts. Perhaps if he endeared himself to Naruto, Iruka would be more willing to see him in a different light.

It was a good plan, but unfortunately it would never work. His students knew him, and although Naruto was dense he would suspect something was off sooner or later.

Even so he could probably squeeze some information out of him on the subject of his previous sensei.

He could also go to Sakura, the girl was an expert at stalking. Then again when it came to Sassuke more than half the teenage girl population in Konoha were experts at stalking.

Kakashi burst out laughing, what was he thinking!? He needed advice from a responsible adult. Unfortunately he didn't know any of those, so he would have to settle for Genma.

Normally he would have said Asuma, but seeing how Asuma was still chasing after Kurenai with little or no success for god knew how long, he wasn't exactly the person to go to when faced with dating problems.

Plus everyone knew blondes had more fun. Or something like that.

He would go to Genma first thing in the morning, or late afternoon, or when the spirit moved him. But for now he would chow down on ramen and go to bed, just as he had planned earlier.

The next day Kakashi had woken up covered with sweat. The rain that had cooled down the hot dry weather yesterday, had evaporated and made the air unbearably hot and humid. He didn't feel like getting up but the covers clinging uncomfortably to his body made him change his mind.

Opting to take another shower before setting off to look for Genma, he dressed up in his usual uniform and grabbing a piece of toast on the way out, he departed from his apartment.

It had taken him about 15 minutes to find the other Jounin, who was in the mission room bored to tears, and playing with the needle he usually kept in his mouth.

As Kakashi approached him he looked up, giving him an indifferent wave and waited for him to say something.

Kakashi hadn't really thought of what he was going to say once he actually found Genma and so he settled for what came most naturally to him. "Yo."

He stared at the other man briefly debating on how to word his question, and decided the mission room was not the best of places to discuss it. Specialy if a certain chunin decided to show up.

The best solution would be to go elsewhere, "I have a few questions to ask you. But I'd rather we go elsewhere, where its less crowded"

With a smirk on his lips Genma looked up at him, "Why is it so important that we have to be alone? You aren't going to ask me to marry you right? If that's the case the answer is still no."

This was all routine treatment and so Kakashi decided he should just go along with it.

Shrugging his shoulders and trying to look dejected he answered, "Looks like you've found me out, you have shattered my heart and soul beyond repair. Seriously though, can we go now? I'll treat you to breakfast."

He knew Genma did not have it in him to turn down free food, and just as he had predicted the other Jounin stood up from his seat, then placing the needle back into his mouth, and somehow keeping it from falling, he exclaimed, "What are we waiting for? I'm starving."

Somehow I thought this was a good place to stop the chapter, but if you feel otherwise, please help your self to strangling me. I promise to update this fic either today or tomorrow...Friday at the latest for sure XD oh and if anyone could find it in their heart to be my beta-reader, I'd appreciate it muchly. The only person that I know who could help me with that is gone for the time being. Anyway 3


	3. Asinine Advice

Another Chapter within the deadline. Yay!?

Disclaimer: If Naruto were cookies and I was a glass of milk... a forget it, I don't own Naruto, we all know that and do you seriously think anyone would pay to read this? XD so please don't sue.

They did not go far before spotting a small, mostly deserted luncheon, it seemed like a good place as any to get some pointers from Genma on the art of dating, and he was pretty sure the other jounin wouldn't mind. Free food _was_ free food.

As soon as they were both inside, Genma walked past him, settled himself into the nearest booth, and began to browse thru the menu.

Kakashi had already sat down, and was in the process of deciding what he would have when Genma asked, "So...Kakashi, what exactly is this all about?"

He needed a way to keep his predicament from making him sound stupid, virginal, naïve, or preferably all three, and so he decided to do what he always did in all situations like this one, he winged it. "Well...I need some advice...on how to get someone's attention. Without confusing and or scaring the shit out of them, and seeing how you somehow always manage to end up in someone else's bed. I thought I'd ask for some...pointers?" Well that had sounded a lot stupider than he had thought it would. This whole thing was turning out to be a bad idea.

He had just made himself sound like a frightened virgin. Kakashi was no stranger to sex but all of his previous encounters fell into the category of one night stands. Now he wasn't exactly sure but he guessed Iruka wouldn't go for something like that, specially since they'd be seeing each other on a regular basis, It simply wouldn't work.

Genma looked him over, and smirked. "Well well well, the infamous Sharingan Kakashi has a little crush on someone. So who's the lucky lady?" Kakashi was sure that if he had been closer to Genma he would have been elbowed in the ribs right about now.

Genma had immediately assumed he was after a lady, which worked to his advantage. Asides from being somewhat promiscuous Genma was also known for his lack of discretion. If Kakashi had corrected him on the gender, the other jounin would surely put two and two together sooner or later, and when it happened it would be the equivalent of Kakashi climbing the Hokage monument and using a megaphone to inform the whole village of his infatuation with the Chunin sensei.

"You don't know...her." He scratched the underside of his chin trying to look thoughtful "I will tell you however that she's a teacher." Looking back towards Genma he could see the the blonde's smirk grow even bigger, and immediately regretted saying anything.

Luckily the waitress had saved him from further embarrassment by coming over to take their orders and pour them some coffee. However, when that was out of the way Genma's smirk returned. "So in short, you need my infinite wisdom to romance this teacher and get into her panties?

A flood of very dirty and very x-rated images flooded Kakashi's mind as he spit out his coffee and choked on what little of it had made it down his throat. He had only made things worst by trying to cover his face as he began to cough, resulting on the lower half of his face and most of the front of his shirt being soaked in the sticky black liquid.

Trying to get his cough under control he could hear Genma still laughing heartily at his misery like every good friend should, while employing such humiliating phrases as "That was priceless" and "You should have seen your self ... if only I had brought a camera along" between fits of laughter.

After what seemed like an eternity Kakashi had regained the ability to speak while Genma mocked him with his shrill which like cackle, It wasn't really a cackle just hearty laughter but, it was just as annoying.

Trying to wipe as much of the coffee off of his clothes as he could, he looked over at Genma. "Shut up already"

The blonder Jounin wiped a stray tear from the corner of his eye and smiled widely. " Fine, I'll be good." Then trying to look more somber he added, "Not only that but I'll help you in your time of need...as long as I get a free meal out of every one of our sessions ofcourse. Just think of it as a fee for my professional advise." As if on cue the waitress arrived with their food.

Kakashi's visible eye twitched with both irritation and confussion. He might have been weird but Genma was ten times more bizarre than he was. He wasn't hungry anymore and at a loss for words. So when Genma had asked if he was going to eat his food, he shook his head and shoved the plate over to the blonde man, who eagerly devoured his bacon and scrambled eggs.

No word was said by either of them till Genma was finished with his food. Resting his chin on the palm of his hand he looked over at him, giving him the most serious expression he had seen on the blonde's face in the last half an hour.

Kakashi stared back, looking bored as always, while bracing himself for the worst.

"Ok she's a teacher, which means she probably has morals. Which rules any interest in you out by default."

Kakashi sweat dropped visibly as he continued to stare at his friend with dismay.

"Wait...Have you even talked to her before?"

"We've had small conversations...but mostly about Nar... other people." That one had been a bit too close. Genma wasn't stupid and Kakashi knew it. He only hoped he was suffering from temporary deafness at the momment.

Genma stared at Kakashi expectantly, as if waiting for more. "So...How does she react to your presence? Revulsion? Dismay? Pity?"

Kakashi thought about the question for a minute, choosing to ignore Genma's mocking tone as he asked the last part. "She smiled a lot. I don't think she minded talking to me."

Genma looked thoughtful. "Well she _is_ a teacher. The lot of them are crafty devils with smiles galore and seemingly pleasant demeanors. Like Iruka sensei, you'd think the guy would never hurt a fly but look at how frightened the children are of his wrath. It's amazing really, not even I inspire that much fear."

Kakashi lip twitched at the thought of a rampaging Iruka after the children of Konoha. He tried to keep the humor out of his voice as he spoke. "Well that makes me feel better. What you are basically saying is that, even though she smiled at me, it must have been faked? That really hurts you know, I'm not that bad to be around."

Genma waved his hand dismissively while saying "Whatever. Anyway the point is, if you ever hope to accomplish your mission, you have to train in the art of romance"

"That sounds like something Gai would say. Is he rubbing off on you cause you both been dating each other behind my back?" Ha touché! It was he had finally gotten a hit it. Kakashi one Genma...well Kakashi one.

To his surprise Genma didn't deny that claim and merely changed the topic. "Ok the basic essentials of romance are this. One, Flowers; Girls love to get flowers, they're like an organic aphrodisiac to them."

"However, flowers alone aren't enough which brings me to essential number two, Poetry; Girls love when guys show their feminine side, and what better way to do that than to read some dead guy's feelings you memorized off a book."

"Essential number three is, Grooming; Girls go for guys who smell nice, and are generally clean looking."

"Last but not least Manners; If you are well behaved and gentlemanly through out your dates chances are you'll have one foot firmly planted in her bed already."

Genma smiled knowingly after finishing, as if he had just revealed the mysteries of the universe to him.

Kakashi sighed "That was the worst advice I've ever gotten, even counting that time when Asuma said getting the Konoha symbol tattooed on my ass so would be cool"

"I know it sounds completely cheesy, but all of it is true. You should already know life_ is_ incredibly cheesy"

Kakashi was now on his third cup of coffee, "Don't you have anything better?"

Genma stubbornly stood by his wisdom. "Just try it! It never fails. Also you have nin dogs, girls are suckers for puppies. Maybe you could accidentally walk one of your cutest dogs by where she lives every day. She's bound to be there some time, and when she sees it she'll go crazy over it, and possibly you."

Sighing defeatedly Kakashi drank some more coffee. "Jounin tests standarts must be preety low if they let you pass."

"I think you just insulted your self." Genma smiled triumphantly before being hit on the head by an empty coffee mug.

Well there goes chapter 3 Now on to 4 and onto more praying for this story to work. This is actually the first thing I've written which surpasses 1 page. I had never gone beyond the first chapter before I started writing this, and I had certainly never posted any of my writings. Anyway thanks for the reviews and I'll try to make this as interestingly weird as I can for you.


	4. Flower Delivery Bust

Well Here I am once again after a very busy ...month? I don't know how long its been since I've updated ;;; heh...I actually had most of this done I just needed to get my butt in gear and type what was left of it...and now here it is. So hopefully you'll all enjoy this.

Disclaimer: Naruto, not mine, don't sue I'm monetarily challenged.

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Kakashi sighed; standing outside of the Yamanaka flower shop, wondering why he was even going to bother following Genma's seemingly misguided advice. While a mocking voice in the back of his mind suggested that it was because he was clueless.

For the past five minutes he had been debating going into the shop. The whole concept of giving Iruka flowers seemed rather pointless. They were just going to die eventually, they were not edible, and they served no real purpose.

Maybe his attitude towards the "romantic" ritual of flower giving was due to the fact that most of his youth had been spent training hard to become a stronger warrior. He had missed out on quite a lot of life's mundane experiences.

Even so Kakashi did not regret spending his life as such. He was a respected and feared shinobi. He was master of over 1,000 jutsus... And he was hopelessly lost when it came to relationships.

He really hated it when Genma was right. This thankfully did not happen very often.

Kakashi sighed once again, resigned to go into the shop with the purpose of buying some sort of plant. Gathering his courage he made his way to the door and entered.

He was lost as soon as he had set foot inside the store. The sheer quantities of flowers were intimidating, not to mention the variety.

The dozens upon dozens of multicolored roses sent chills down his back. This had been a bad idea. He would be here forever, not able to decide which type of flower to buy for Iruka.

Just as he had begun to take a few steps back he was stopped by a young girl's voice.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop."

He turned his head slowly, dreading to confirm with his eyes what his ears already knew.

Sure enough, the young blonde haired kunochi of team ten, Yamanaka Ino, was sitting at the counter. So immersed in a magazine, she had not even bother to look up as he entered.

"Please feel free to look around, and ask if you need help with..." She had finally put the magazine down and looked up, his visible eye locking with hers.

"Hey you're...Kakashi Sensei, right?" She smiled sweetly, and he nodded slowly.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, and even more awkward staring, Ino spoke again.

"Um...do you need help finding anything?"

Kakashi considered this for a moment. Then grabbing for the nearest bouquet he presented it to the young kunochi at the counter. "I'll just take these."

She smiled pleasantly and told him the price, which turned out to be fairly high for the reproductive organs of a plant.

It did not matter, all he wanted was to leave the infernal place. So he paid for them, and after getting his change, walked out with a barely audible thanks.

If he had his way, it would be a long time before he visited any flower shops again. The choices were too overwhelming.

Staring at his bouquet he finally understood why it had been so pricey; it was a dozen of red roses. Which were probably the most commonly given variety of flowers available. But at least they smelled good, that alone made them a bit less worthless.

If deciding weather to buy flowers had taken him long. Deciding weather to go thru with giving them to Iruka took even longer.

He was usually quick with his decisions when it came to missions, he was also a master tactician, and extremely confident in his abilities as a shonobi.

He knew his physical strengths and weaknesses. But this whole dating thing was guesswork at best. He had no way of telling how Iruka would take his advances, and no way of knowing how he would react. If love were like a shinobi battle he could counter whatever it threw at him with his sharingan. But alas not everything in life was that easy.

Taking a deep breath Kakashi walked to the door, and with all the bravery and determination of a matador about to face the fiercest of bulls, knocked on it steadily with one very sweaty gloved fist.

That was when he finally noticed the voice of a female coming from inside Iruka's apartment, and before he even had a chance to panic, the door swung open revealing a smiling Anko.

His earlier thoughts and worries about giving flowers to Iruka vanished, and suddenly he felt very lightheaded. How could he have missed the fact that Anko was in Iruka's house. Why was Anko in Iruka's house? Were Iruka and Anko seeing each other!?

Kakashi's mind continue to be filled with these same thoughts as the kunochi before him began to stare at him as if he was some sort of odd bug.

The brief yet uncomfortable silence was broken by another female voice asking "Who was it and what's taking you so long?"

It was now that Kakashi's mind snapped back to his surroundings and noticed the two other people in the room. Sitting on a sofa only a few feet from where he stood were Kurenai and Iruka. They too stared at him as if he had just shown up naked.

Kakashi calculated the consequences of going thru with his plan, and giving Iruka the flowers in front of Anko and Kurenai, then decided that the only intelligent course of action was to abort the mission. He really couldn't risk being rejected in public.

But before he could disappear in a cloud of smoke Iruka called out his name.

"Kakashi?"

It was amazing how the lack of honorifics made his name sound so differently while coming out of Iruka's lips. The blood that had drained from his face as Anko had answered the door was now gathering at another more interesting part of his anatomy.

All thoughts of escape forgotten, Kakashi stood at Iruka's door, acting like a more of a nut than at any other time in his life, while thoughts of ravishing the chunin ran thru his mind.

Then Anko had to ruin it all by finally noticing the bouquet of flowers which was firmly held in his hand. "Ooh Kakashi-san, who are the Flowers for?" She smiled the most mischievous smile Kakashi had ever seen on anyone but Naruto as she continued to tease him. "Could they be for me?" Her smile now widened dangerously threatening to tear her face in half if her lips stretched anymore. "Or maybe they're for Iruka?"

Alarms went off in Kakashi's head as he tried to come up with a way to dodge the question while Anko grinned slyly up at him, satisfied with her work. Then like lightning a brilliant idea hit him, and he finally ventured to speak.

"Actually." He pushed Anko aside, not too gently, and made a beeline for Kurenai. Who immediately took on the expression of a deer caught in headlights. Holding the oversized bouquet of flowers out towards her, Kakashi waited for the red eyed kunochi to take them.

Kurenai's eyes looked towards Iruka desperately begging for help. His earlier thoughts of Iruka being involved with Anko were now replaced by thoughts of Iruka and Kurenai.

It was even easier to picture the two of them together, and by the way Kurenai was staring at the chunin Kakashi began to feel that maybe there was something between the two after all.

It was common knowledge that Asuma had a thing for Kurenai, and he had not expected Iruka to be the type to steal some one else's potential partner. That was a silly thought, if Kurenai had chosen Iruka over Asuma that was her choice...but still.

A deep feeling of anger and jealousy began to build up within his body. He could feel his insides clench painfully and decided that it had to be something he had eaten.

With a slightly irritated tone he shoved the flowers closer to Kurenai and said. "They're not from me. They're from Asuma."

All the tension seemed to pour out of the kunochi, and if he didn't know better he could have sworn Anko and Iruka had breathed a sigh of relief. Kurenai was now blushing while looking at him doubtfully. "How did you become 'flower delivery boy' so suddenly?"

"I lost a bet." Was the quick answer Kakashi gave, as he made his way out the door.

Once outside on Iruka's porch, He breathed a long sigh of relief. That had been too close for comfort.

Kakashi could not believe he had just spent all that money for nothing. All he had really managed to do was complicate his life further.

He now had to find Asuma and explain to him why he had given his 'secret' crush flowers in his name, and ask the jounin to cover for him. He really owed Asuma one, and hoped the other jounin would not maul him too badly when he found out what he had done.

On the upside of things at least Asuma was reliable, and would be too indifferent to mock him about his predicament with Iruka, and if he did, it would all be between them.

Why couldn't he be attracted to someone he actually understood? Like Asuma. Things would have been a lot simpler.

With one last disturbing thought of romantic go filled evenings with Asuma, Kakashi set off towards the Jounin's apartment.

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This is so Kakashi centric...next chapter I'll try writing some more Iruka into it... I'm actually holding back on writing him into the story too much because I want the whole affection to be gradual...so the closer they become the more of Iruka there will be...Then again if this is too slow and boring please say so and I'll try and speed things up a bit.


	5. Retrospect and Conviction

Usual disclaimer – I don't own Naruto, if I did…well It probably wouldn't be sold to people under 18 years of age XD… TT;;; I know….I know..-cough-

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After explaining his predicament to Asuma, and in avertedly to Ibiki, who arrived just in time to eavesdrop on their conversation, he had felt relieved, and a bit more at ease with himself. Having to keep the whole thing a secret was beginning to take a toll on his mental health. Or whatever little of it he had left.

He wasn't too sure about Ibiki knowing, but considering the many other people who could have eavesdropped on them, he was actually kind of glad it had been Ibiki. At least he knew his secret would be safe, even under pain of torture…or something like that.

Asuma had looked very shocked, and a bit lost, after he had mentioned the bit about Kurenai and the flowers. The expression on his face had been priceless, and down right hilarious. But laughing had been out of the question, he was in enough trouble already.

That of course had not stopped Ibiki from laughing heartily and patting Asuma on the back. While the other man continued to look mortified.

He watched silently as Asuma more or less tossed himself onto his sofa, and with not quite steady hands, lit up a cigarette. While muttering to himself about denying everything if Kurenai ever asked.

"She was actually happy when I told her they were from you." If he could convince Asuma that Kurenai liked the flowers all his problems would be solved, or at least the most pressing ones.

"She was blushing a lot too. I think she likes you." He smirked at that last bit. Everyone in the village, except Asuma, could tell Kurenai liked him. Of course the same could be said of Kurenai. It was very obvious to see that the chain smoking Jounin had a thing for her.

Asuma perked up immediately after hearing this, but he was still doubtful. "Do you really think she likes me?"

Kakashi's visible eye twitched almost unnoticeably. "How can you be so clueless? Of course she likes you. I mean just look at the way she acts around you"

Ibiki had decided to aid Kakashi by adding "She does seem to be interested in you. Why else would she even stand to be around someone as lazy as you?"

Asuma glared at Ibiki, taking another drag from his cigarette, while looking quite pleased with himself. "I'm not lazy, I'm mellow, and there is nothing wrong with that."

For the time being it seemed that Asuma would go along with the whole thing.

It would be nice for the two Jounins to finally get together. They deserved each other's company. A shinobi's life was far too bleak to be spent in solitude.

Kakashi turned to thank Ibiki for his help, only to find the other shinobi smiling at him. It was amazing how the man's smile could show both wisdom and warmth. Even after his face had been scarred by time, and more than likely, torture.

It made him want to trust him. It was a nice feeling, one he had not felt since the 3rd had died. Even so he could not place his trust on anyone so easily.

He continued to stare at the smiling Ibiki. Then not being able to take it any longer he asked "What?" while trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

Ibiki smiled benevolently "You and Asuma are more alike than you realize."

Kakashi's shoulders slumped dramatically. Of course they were similar, it was part of what was required to be friends with somebody. Or at least that was what he had always thought. Ibiki was a master of mind games and confusion so Kakashi didn't really know what to think of his comment.

Before Kakashi could come up with a suitable response, Ibiki placed a heavy, rough looking hand on his shoulder, as if to comfort him, and merely shook his head while exhaling. The action made Kakashi very uncomfortable. It made him feel as if he had just missed something.

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Once home he was glad to be alone again. This was his sanctuary, only a handful of people knew where he lived, and those same people knew better than to disturb him.

He could think clearly in here. Analyze things he did not have time to outside.

Kakashi felt more tired that he had felt in what seemed like ages. Not physically but mentally and emotionally. Learning how to deal with people all over again was proving to be harder than he had first imagined. He just felt completely inadequate.

But if he wanted things to change, there had to be some sacrifices. Of course things were always easier said than done, and that saying usually when double for him. He had always been a firm believer of leaving things alone. When something worked well, why was there any reason to change it?

But his life really was not working well at all. He was a complete recluse, who would rather spend his days reading than socializing with the few friends he still had. He wanted emotional stability. He didn't want to mourn another friend's loss.

Kakashi rummaged though his pockets setting his weapons and scrolls aside, ready to change back to something comfortable. He found his book inside his weapons pouch, turning it over a couple of times he felt a little guilty pang inside. Had his fear of loosing loved ones gone this far into his life?

Now that he thought about it, it seemed like he had even chosen the type of books he read for a reason. They had predictable stories, and they always had a happy ending. Even his books were emotionally safe it seemed. Looking at his book now, made him a little uneasy. He felt like it weighed him down, and no longer felt like reading it…or even looking at it. It seemed silly but he wasn't about to ignore it.

Clearing his mind he shoved the book into the drawer of his dresser and shut it close. He'd once more try and put his worries to rest so he could at least try to sleep, he still had a job after all. Kakashi laid down on the bed and stretched his limbs before speaking to himself. "It's for the children." his face breaking into a grin before letting sleep overtake him.

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The next morning Kakashi awoke at the crack of dawn, and went through his morning routine on auto pilot not really wanting to deal with his issues before a day of hard work with his team, and he planned to concentrate on their training.

He made his way out of the apartment and decided he would walk to the team's meeting spot. He still had two hours to spare, it just wouldn't be right to show up on time. But he didn't have anything to do, other than wander the streets aimlessly…which was definitely not an appealing option.

He could always go to the mission room and spend his time there, maybe he'd be able to catch Asuma and make sure about the flower dilemma. That last thought seemed to be a good way to pass the time, and make sure his cover wouldn't be blown by Asuma backing out on him. But before he could set off on his newest self appointed mission a firm, yet polite voice stopped him.

"Kakashi-sensei"

Kakashi stood, frozen in place as Iruka walked past him and turned to face him.

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei" Iruka bowed slightly, setting Kakashi's brain into motion once more.

"Morning Iruka-sensei" He put on his best smile, which really wasn't necessary, due to the mask, and nodded towards the teacher. He could feel his heart speed up and his stomach flutter as he waited for Iruka to speak, but it seemed like the Chuunin was waiting for him to say something because he continued to stare at him, a blush rising to both their faces.

After a few seconds of awkward silence Iruka looked away smiling to himself "I have class soon…goodbye Kakashi-sensei" and with that the Chuunin was gone, leaving Kakashi feeling a pang of regret.

That had been the perfect opportunity to say something…He could have at least asked the man out for coffee under the pretext of talking about his former students. But he just froze. The fact that Genma was right about his inadequacy came back to haunt him, mocking him even more now that he had missed his chance.

He felt something burn deep inside him as he promised himself that he wouldn't let a chance like that go past him again. He would get Iruka to like him, no matter what it took. With that in mind he set off after the Chuunin determined to make the first move.

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Well I know is a sad excuse for an update but, its all I've got right now. I apologize to the people who are following this story. I've been very busy with college and life in general but hopefully I'll get another chapter out of the way this coming week. Anyway I'm loving this writing practice 3!


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